Chickens must be kept in pens, a historic building has a new owner and new council members were sworn in during a busy Carthage City Council meeting on Tuesday.

As is customary at the first meeting after the April elections, this meeting was two meeting in one, with the “old” council finishing the “old” business, then incoming council members being sworn in to take care of the “new” business.

This meeting saw the old council putting its final stamp on an issue that had been simmering for a few months when it approved two revisions to the city ordinances having to do with keeping poultry and other livestock.

The revisions close loopholes that by requiring that poultry and other livestock be kept in enclosures and not be allowed to roam free until someone complains.

They also require that those enclosures be kept 250 feet from any home, business, church or other structure, making it illegal to keep poultry in all but the most rural parts of the city.

In its last order of business, the old council also approved the sale of the former Carthage Water & Electric Plant administration building on the northeast corner of the Carthage Square to Alpha Financial LLC for $126,500.

The building, which served as the local utility’s administrative headquarters since 1937, has been vacant since October 2011 when CW&EP completed renovations on the former McCune-Brooks hospital building at 627 W. Centennial Ave.

City Administrator Tom Short said in the past the sale price was about $4,000 less than the building’s appraised value, but the sale was still a good deal for the city.

He said the money from the sale would be returned to CW&EP.

The old council then adjourned and Council members Jason Shelfer, Lee Carlson, John Studebaker, Donald Maclaughlin, Kirby Newport and Larry Chapin were sworn in and allowed to take their seats.

Jason Shelfer is the newcomer to the Council, replacing Brent Greninger in Ward 5.

Lee Carlson is returning to the council to replace John Cooper in Ward 4.

The other council members sworn in were either reelected to their office or ran for seats they had already been appointed to.

The new council elected Council Member Dan Rife as Mayor Pro Tem to lead meetings in the absence of the Mayor, and approved a resolution allowing the Parks Department to create an Adopt-a-Park program.